BILT

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Revit Step Pattern Repeaters Part 2

Step Patterns Method 3

The previously created 1 point adaptive box could have an additional parameter added to it - to allow it to be offset to the right from its centrepoint origin. At its simplest it just needs a parameter from centre to left side - if set at half the width value it will be centred; if set at zero it will be offset by half its width. You could put in a formula to make it offset using a checkbox but its not really necessary.

Create a new type that is offset to the right by half its width.

Place a centred type box on a node of the divided surface

Place an offset type box on the node above it on the next row

If you try to "repeat" this it will only create a linear pattern; so you need to teach Revit what you want - place two additional boxes in a cluster of four (two of each type)

Select all four boxes and click on the "Repeater" (array) command to get a two directional step pattern.

This will create four separate interlocking repeaters

The edges will not be finished correctly, so you need to create a new half width offset box and swap out the overhanging edge pieces.

NB. If you change the number of divisions on the surface, you cannot control where the half width types appear in the overall pattern.

Method 4

If you want to create something more complex than a box on a rectangular surface grid, you may need to create an adaptive component that has multiple adaptive placement points

Although this example is still a box, it has 3 adaptive points - the first two set out the left hand edge, and the third point the bottom right corner and length (reporting parameter). The overall box length is calculated at twice the length between the adaptive points 1 and 3

The adaptive component needs to be placed on 3 nodes on the divided surface in the correct order

If you repeat this component, it will make a rectangular pattern, which is not stepped. So you need to place three more adaptive boxes in the final pattern that you require

Select all four boxes and click on the repeat command - to get a step pattern

The edge boxes on the right hand side, need to be individually exchanged for half size boxes; the left side needs to have new half-sized adaptive component boxes placed in alternate gaps. It should be possible to place just the first two and then repeat them vertically.

Although this method is more complicated, the principle it shows would allow more complex patterns than the one point adaptives. For example, if you taper the surface grid, the length of the box varies according to the node spacing

If you created a 4 point adaptive box, you could get it to distort itself to fit properly on a tapered grid